


Trust Your Secret to the Trees

by smack



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fae Merlin, Kinda, M/M, Magical Merlin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 01:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6065299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smack/pseuds/smack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is the prince of Camelot and Merlin is the spirit of a valley. When Arthur's men tell him that the valley is haunted, Arthur must go and investigate himself. Finding the spirit of the land Arthur kidnaps him and brings him back to the castle where Merlin plays entertainment to the court. Danger is always lurking just outside the borders.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sacrifice, Accepted

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. I'm going to say this now, because I'm awful at deadlines, I have another chapter for this. It's about halfway through and I still don't know exactly where it's going... So. Welcome to the journey.  
> Also, please note that this work is not beta'd. Beta-ed? Betaed? My point stands. If you see any UHOHS! please let me know!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur finds that he should have spent more time paying attention to cautionary words, and also that Names have more power than told of in tales.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've revamped this, since 2014. Taken what was really out of character (Basically everything about Arthur) and made it more realistic to Episode 1 Dick!Arthur. Merlin has also become less like a real person, than an immature Anime main character. (I HOPE)
> 
> Please let me know if you see anything that strikes you as weird or completely out of sync.

Arthur Pendragon halted in the middle of the clearing. The horses and their riders on either side stopped and watched the prince tilt his head slightly and listen carefully.

"There." he whispered. As he pointed, the stag the party had been chasing jumped from the bushes. The men threw up their bows but it was the prince's arrow that pierced the creature's side. Leon, Arthur's second in command, smiled. "A wonderful shot, Your Highness." Arthur's eyes rolled.

"I've told you that when we're not at court you can call me Arthur. I'm supposed to be at the castle, but if you keep 'Your Highness'-ing me, it won't take people long to realized that I'm the Prince."

"Alright, If you insist, Arthur." came a voice from beside his horse's shoulder. "That's awful trusting of you, willingly sacrifice your name, belated as it was. Or maybe you didn't realize? Either way, I accept. True-naming has many uses."

Arthur's head whipped toward the sound. A boy stood a few feet away, his black hair glinted in the evening sun. His blue eyes looked up indulgently at the prince.

"Who are you? Where did you come from?" Arthur exclaimed. "This part of the woods is private!" The knights drew bows, focusing them on the boy, not much older than their prince. He glanced at them and his eyes flashed gold. The bows, made from old wood, drooped from their owners hands and began to twist and shake. They grew tiny branches and roots, and dug into the ground.

"It is not wise to threaten me." the boy said smiling nonchalantly. His smile was catching and Arthur felt the corners of his lips tilting. The boy walked to the prone stag, resting a hand on its face and pulling the arrow from its side. As the Knights watched, a breath puffed the stag's chest up once more and it rose to its feet. Merlin flicked a hand and it bowed to him, before bounding into the forest depths.

"Who are you?" Arthur asked, his eyes darted in the direction of the miracle stag. The boy's eyes focused on him for a moment before sweeping over the clearing.

"I am Merlin, I am the meadow and the woods and the stream." Arthur shook his head.

"Are you some kind of crazy magician?" Merlin's smile dropped and his laughing eyes became serious.

"I am the Forest. The Forest is me." Merlin blinked and disappeared. From a tree over their heads, the troop heard, "They are mine and you trespassed without sacrifice."

Arthur's Knights looked up at the tree in wonder. The boy, Merlin, sat in a branch eight feet up from where he'd just stood. "You must make your sacrifice before you enter, if you wish to cross into my land to have your kills."

"This is Camelot's land, it belongs to the king, not you, Sorcerer." Arthur spat. His sword was out of its sheath quicker than the eye could see. Merlin regarded him with calm contempt. "You will come down at once!"

"I will not." Merlin said affronted. He crawled into the leaves. "You and your men must leave this area. It is mine, and has been since before your unnatural birth, Arthur Pendragon." His blue eyes pierced Arthur and Arthur's sword sagged, transfixed. "Arthur Pendragon, Leave this place." With a few unintelligible words from Merlin, Arthur's horse Percival turned and trotted away, his rider appearing comatose. The knights gave chase.

As the group left the clearing, following their fearless, clueless leader, the knights swore they heard a laughing voice follow them out.

~

Arthur woke to a headache like he'd never had before. "I feel like I'm dying." He croaked.

"You very well could have." a woman said from the chair beside the bed. Princess Royal Morgana stood and grabbed the wet cloth from a basin on his bed side table. Arthur squinted up at her.

"What?" Arthur's eyes were glassy and he blinked moronically for a few seconds. Morgana smirked.

"You were enchanted. Gaius says it was a Woods Wraith. Or a Forest Spirit." She dabbed the cloth over his forehead. "You were unconscious for two days."

Arthur frowned at his sister. Two days? What had happened in the woods? How had he- Merlin. The creature Merlin had said his name and he had felt the best kind of euphoria. He'd blanked as to what had happened after the odd feeling of bliss. True-Naming is what the voice had said. The voice that had pulled something from the bottom of his mind and forced him, Prince Arthur, to follow obediently in it's command.

Arthur groaned. He'd been enchanted by a forest spirit and it hurt.

"If I was just enchanted, then how could I have died?" Arthur asked. Giving him a look that made it clear she thought he was acting more stupidly than normal, Morgana placed the cloth back in the bowl.

"You didn't pay attention when Gaius described them during lessons, did you?" Morgana smirked again. "Wood Wraiths, or spirits, are extremely magical. Just the fact that you met one is surprising. They don't like to show themselves because they can be captured and their fealty sworn. They deal mostly in creative magic, but Creating is just destroying what was." She leaned into the bed. "Stories say, Spirits can only be captured by someone who sacrifices something in their woods. But since Wood Wraiths don't accept just anything and they don't like to be seen, its very rare to find someone that has sacrificed something to them."

Arthur's head paused its throbbing as he thought about words, specifically what the creature in the forest had said. Then he smiled. Then he cursed the pain in his head.

~

Merlin sat. His tree, in the middle of the woods, wasn't the tallest, but it gave a view of the entire forest. 

The knights stationed at the edge of his forest were also visible. Arthur rode in front, the most visible with his scarlet tunic.

Merlin smiled. He couldn't let the boy-child see him, but he could watch the princeling's progress as he foolishly walked through the woods again. He appeared on the branches above the knights.

"I have to find him." Arthur said to the darker blond knight beside him. The knight gave Arthur a worried look.  
"You know what he did to you last time."

"He hasn't yet. I don't think he will. At the very least, he'll want to know why we're back." Arthur spoke with confidence and assurance that made everything in Merlin want to flee. His curiosity about the prince overcame his natural survival instinct, and he perched comfortably to watch the odd company.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled. "Come to me?"

Merlin watched the princeling survey the surrounding trees. The forest spirit felt a strange tug towards the young man as he said this. The tug gave to a pull and then a non-gentle shove. The confused spirit moved to him. The prince waited patiently as his word-spell kicked in.

Merlin shot stumbling into the clearing where the knights waited for him. Arthur smiled wickedly.

"Merlin, spirit of the forest, I summon you to my fealty. I bind you by acceptance of my sacrifice." Merlin's blue eyes went wide. "You accepted my name, Merlin." He could not move as the spoken ritual words bound him like heavy iron shackles to Camelot's prince. "My first order is this, you will not use my sacrifice against me."

Merlin's mouth moved, but he could not think of a single spell to break the bind. "You will not leave me unless I give you an order." Arthur said to the now paralyzed spirit. "Come along." Arthur gestured and Leon, the blond knight on his right side, helped the dazed Spirit sit behind Arthur on the horse.

Merlin stared at his new master before a single tear slid from his eyes. "You will not be harmed while in my care. Your fealty goes both ways. I will protect you for your servitude." Merlin turned his head away and stared longingly at his forest. Arthur shrugged and turned his pony back towards the castle. The wraith stared at the ground and was silent for the entire trip. --I don't like how this sounds...

~

Morgana watched from her window in the palace. Arthur was sitting on his horse, in front of a rather skinny, waif-like boy. As Arthur dismounted and reached up to help the boy off, she noticed that while he seemed to be as tall as the Prince, his hunched frame spoke of a broken soul. Morgana hoped, for Arthur's sake, that Arthur knew what he was doing.

~

Arthur led Merlin into the palace. The further into the Castle walls Merlin went, the worse he looked. Giving him a worried look, Arthur changed course from the ready rooms, and steered them towards Gaius's quarters. The physician took one look at the black haired youth, then gave Arthur an odd look.

"He is not human." Gaius guessed. Arthur shook his head. "He's your Wood Wraith?"

"I've bound him, Gaius, but he doesn't look very well." Arthur moved to touch Merlin's arm and the boy flinched from him violently. Gaius placed a restraining hand on Arthur.

"Don't touch him. He's in a kind of shock." Gaius moved slowly toward Merlin and the being's old eyes watched him carefully. When Gaius's hand settled gently on his shoulder, Merlin shuddered. "It's alright. Neither of us would dream of hurting you." Merlin grabbed the man's hand and before Arthur could shout a warning, Merlin had pushed into the man's side. He hugged the court physician tightly while hiding his face in the man's robes.

"Why is he clinging to you?" Arthur asked softly, wary of startling their guest. Gaius patted Merlin on the back in comfort.  
"I suppose it's because my robes smell like the forest." Gaius gestured to the herb basket on the table by the door. "I just came back from collecting." Merlin rubbed his nose against the fabric in agreement.

"He speaks the same language as us, so why doesn't he speak?" Arthur wondered, returning to the brashness His Royal Highness usually mustered. Gaius pushed at Merlin's shoulders.

"I suppose because he hasn't had anything worth saying." Gaius looked deeply into the boy's tired blue eyes. "His pupils are dilated. He is most likely experiencing shock still. He won't return to normal until he is settled. After a few days he should be more responsive, however, his power may be diminished." Gaius shed his outer robe and pulled it around the woods wraith. Speaking gently, he murmured, "It won't be this bad forever." Gaius smiled at Merlin and Merlin's mouth twitched, as if he'd like to return it. "He should stay here for a bit." Arthur cast a brief calculating look at Merlin before he nodded and walked out the door.

The shaking started sometime after the evening bells rang. First it was his teeth, then his arms and then his whole body. Gaius threw blankets on him, trying to warm his cold soul.

Morgana visited after the sun went down on the first day. She peeked into Gaius's rooms. "Gaius? Is the boy here?" Gaius nodded and pointed at the bedroom in the back.

"He's resting. Somewhat." Gaius shook his head. "What was Arthur thinking, bringing a Forest Spirit into a Castle." When Morgana gave him a puzzled look he sighed. "You know that Fire and water are opposites, but think of puddles and Mist, they are opposites in their element. So too, are Earth's Forests and Stones." Morgana's face became sympathetic.

"Poor Merlin." Gaius looked at her. "The boy, Spirit, his name is Merlin." 

Gaius looked surprised. "He gave his name?"

Morgana shrugged. "That's what Arthur said." She looked at the door. "Can I see him?"

"Well." Gaius said, eyeing her. "Women are often seen as being more connected to the earth than men. See if he reacts differently with a woman's touch. Try calling him Merlin, He may respond to you."

Morgana opened the door into the small room and found Merlin laying on his side underneath several blankets. Gaius had moved all his clay pots, and some quite shinier containers, all holding plants into the bedroom. Merlin lay curled around one, his hand in the dirt.

"Merlin?" Morgana called. Her voice echoed slightly in the silence. "Your name is Merlin, isn't it?" Merlin's small body jerked. Slowly, he nodded once. He didn't make any move other than the small affirmation.

"I'm Morgana." She winced as he shuddered again. "I'm sorry, I forgot that's how Arthur..." She sat on the edge of the bed. "If I didn't offer it, would you still be able to use it against me?" Merlin shook his head. His blue eyes were fixed on her knee, which, she supposed, was better than on the floor, or on the plant by his stomach.

"Morgana." A croak was all that could leave his throat. "Morgana Pendragon. You are known to the fair folk." He lifted his head and pinned her with his very blue stare. His voice, when he spoke again, was layered, and left Morgana more unsettled than when she understood what it said. "You are part of a great destiny." he collapsed back into the pillow. "Morgana Le Fay." Then his shakes stopped. Morgana was awed that she hadn't noticed them until they stopped.

Morgana left then, as she gently closed the door, she felt like crying and laughing at the same time. Gaius watched her as she left. As he checked on Merlin, he realized Merlin slept peacefully for the first time since he'd arrived. His hand in a pot of dirt and green growth.


	2. Sacrifice, Explained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin acclimates, and Arthur begins to realize what he actually has under his power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've now updated this chapter to fit a more episode 1 Dick!Arthur. And a slightly more foreboding Merlin, who is still pretty weak from all the stone and environment shock. Bear with me here. 
> 
> Please let me know if you've noticed anything that seems off or out of place. I've read through a couple of times, but I don't have a Beta so...

Morgana, before she retired to her chambers on the day Merlin arrived, had spoken briefly to Arthur. She'd advised him to leave the spirit in peace to assimilate to his new quarters, especially after the upheaval she'd witnessed from the Fae. Arthur had given her no guarantee at the time, but kept himself busy until Gaius had sent for him.

A page boy Arthur knew sometimes ran errands for the palace healer, hailed him on the morning of the third day. Gaius opened his door to the Prince's unusually polite knocking. "He's in his room." the physician said, "Merlin has slept most of his time here, waking just long enough to tell me that he doesn't require human food. He's been in bed ever since, sire." Arthur nodded and went to knock on the door to the back room. It swung open by itself. 

The room had become green. Arthur was certain that every pot Gaius owned held some kind of plant, and even some that Arthur knew weren't Gaius's to have. He gave the silver bowl that used to hold fruit a look and decided that if it made the boy less distraught, Gaius could borrow it from the kitchen stores. And the boy -Arthur had been referring to him as thus, because his appearance was noticeably younger than Arthur himself- did look happy. Or at the very least healthy. Arthur hadn't remembered him being pale when he'd dropped him off at Gaius', but by the healthier, fair color of his skin, it was now obvious to Arthur's eyes.

Merlin hummed a tuneless song as he tended to the many plants. When he turned to greet Gaius, whom he'd assumed was at the door, he froze. Arthur stood in the door way staring at the strange spirit; Merlin was on his feet and searching for a way out before Arthur had registered the movement.

"Wait!" Once again, Merlin froze. Arthur held both hands up. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." Merlin's glare was a surprise. "What is that look for?"

"You took me from my home, cage me in stone, but say you won't hurt me? And you want what... understanding? Gratitude?"

"I don't presume to know how you feel." Arthur shrugged, not sounding apologetic or even concerned as to Merlin's feelings. "I brought you to Camelot for one reason; to strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. Your fealty will frighten any threats into leaving our villages and their people alone." He crossed his arms. "Keeping Camelot safe is not an easy task, but with your magic to impress the need for peace upon our neighbors..." The prince shrugged.

Merlin's pursed lips said many unfavorable things.

"You may speak openly to me," Arthur said.

"You're a prat!" Merlin's face went stormy. "You say outlying villages, but you don't care for anything other than yourself. You're such a clotpole!" 

Arthur stood silent for a moment. Then he shook his head. "A what? A Clot-pole?" 

Merlin twitched, seeming somewhat abashed. "It means... something vulgar in the language of Trees." Merlin scowled at the floor, anger easing into stoney awkwardness. "The word doesn't really translate."

Arthur frowned. "No one's ever called me a prat or a clotpole before." 

Merlin glanced through his black fringe of hair. "Maybe not to your face." He blinked at the prince and shook his head. "You've no idea the things that filter through the wind." 

"You can hear the-- Never mind, you'll have to keep the name calling to a minimum while in court. In fact, if you have any court manners at all, you'll need to use them. You're a guest here, regardless of your captivity. Whatever manners you can scrounge up will help keep you out of trouble, and the dungeons." Merlin ducked his head and Arthur gestured towards the door.

"I have some time to escort you around your new home before I need to be elsewhere. Are you able to leave?" At Merlin's painfully hopeful look, Arthur turned away. "Not leave the castle, leave the room. I have time for a light tour." Arthur didn't watch as Merlin's shoulders sagged. He looked at the greens on the floor around him.

"Will I be coming back here?" He asked glumly.

Arthur hesitated for a second before nodding. "You may live here if you like, under Gaius's attention and grace. Or perhaps we could build you a nest in the castle garden." Merlin's hopeful look sprung up again, until he realized Arthur was joking.  
"You have a garden? Can we go see it?" Arthur turned to look at him. After a second he nodded.

"It's not much to look at, at the moment. The last gardener we had tried to plant poisonous herbs and give them to the castle cooks. His successor is more adept at drinking than tending flora." 

Arthur called to Gaius, as they made to leave. "Merlin's reaction the last time he was out in the courtyards was...rather undesirable. Will there be any backlash to him leaving your quarters?" 

Gaius shook his head. "No, Sire. The last three days should have been enough to settle his magics to a more reasonable level." He paused. "Should he be enclosed in a room of stone again, sire, he may feel some upset." Merlin sniffed.

"I am not made for your stone walls," He said roughly. "But like ivy, I can learn to grow on them." Gaius gave him an odd look, thinking about the other uses for ivy, before bowing slightly to Arthur. 

"There you have it, sire." Arthur nodded and swept Merlin out of the room. 

Outside, Merlin breathed the fresh air for the first time in two days. He spread his arms out and breathed in deeply. He ran out onto the cobblestones, Arthur following, shocked for enjoying this abrupt show of energy. When Merlin tipped his head back and twirled in the fresh air, Arthur spotted the first sign of trouble. Most of the courtiers were kind, if strict, with their servants. His father's appointed knights were considered noble in both spirit and lineage, while others held an attitude of disdain for those in lower positions of Camelot, regardless of their own family's position in the last century.

As Sir Grainger, not one of the more noble in spirit, walked through an archway and saw Merlin dawdling in the square, Arthur knew there would be a scene. He moved quickly, but not fast enough as Grainger grabbed Merlin's arm. The Fae gasped and fought the knight's grip and swung his free arm at Grainger. The knight grabbed it too and twisted both into one of his gloved hands.

"How dare you try to hit me!" Grainger whipped his hand across Merlin's face. 

Merlin collapsed to his knees gasping and sputtering. Arthur grabbed Grainger's hand before it could come down again on his... vassal. The being in his service. The Fae he'd captured. His. "Grainger, release him. He is my servant and I will deal with him." 

Grainger pulled back on his arm thoughtlessly, and moved as if to strike again. Arthur didn't let it go at first, letting the knight see his error before trying to assault the prince.

"Yes, of course, Your Highness," the shocked man said bowing his head. 

Merlin scurried behind Arthur and Arthur felt him grabbing the back of his tunic; acting like a scared child. Arthur stared his knight down. "Merlin is mine to discipline, Lord Grainger." 

"Yes, Sire. Please excuse me." The knight of Camelot bowed low, before turning and leaving the clearing.

Arthur turned his gaze to Merlin. "You can come out now." He mocked. He hissed as he saw the red mark bruising Merlin's face. "Here, let me see." Holding Merlin's face, Arthur surveyed the damage done by the backhand. "Your eye might swell up, but I don't see any real damage." The prince scowled. "He shouldn't have touched you."

"At least you are slightly more noble." Merlin grumbled. He gave the prince a searching look. "I'm sorry for calling you a clotpole, Arthur." Arthur's eyebrow raised.

"If you mind your manners, and your work, you should never have to worry about yourself here, Merlin. You're under my protection and I'll have nothing happen to you in Camelot." Merlin gave him an unreadable look.

"If I were able, no harm would come to me by my own protection, Arthur." The prince's eyes narrowed. Merlin shook his head."May we go see the gardens now?"

~

Upon seeing the state of the so called 'Royal Gardens' the Woods Wraith had been outraged.

"Carelessness." He protested to his escort. "Pure disregard. Your gardens should be sacred. Without these plants to bring you breath and life, you wouldn't be here!" Arthur had shot him a warning glare, then snorted indelicately. He rolled his eyes at the Fae. 

"In your time here, if you have free moments, you're welcome to groom them." Arthur said rather benevolently. Merlin smirked at him. Then the odd creature sat in the direct middle of the garden and for all appearances fell into a trance.

Arthur stood uncomprehending for the first few minutes, before cursing the willful creature in his courtyard. He tried to wake the Spirit up, resorting to everything from dousing with water to making a loud ruckus. He was wary of any physical altercations, due to the still swollen eye Merlin sported. He panicked for a while when he realized Merlin had sat for the entire afternoon and did not move.

Gaius arrived shortly after the dinner bells tolled and no motion had come from the Fae. "As far as I can tell, Sire, He's repairing the grounds."

After that first afternoon even Arthur, who knew little of plant lives, could tell a difference. Trees that had been brown all year, blossomed with life. Flowers poked through the mostly dead dirt patches and grass returned to the pathways not filled with stone.

Merlin sat for a very long time. It rained the next morning and Arthur had someone cover him with an oil cloth. Shortly after a vine -pulled from somewhere under the earth- had dragged the cloth off and let the water hit Merlin again.  
The Prince of Camelot thought seriously about Merlin building a nest in the gardens.

The morning of the third day, Merlin woke with a burst of sudden energy. His eyes opened and he looked around with a gentle smile on his face. Arthur's guard startled before signaling someone to tell the prince.

"Had I known you would take my words so directly to heart, I might have rephrased them. I thought you may have died." The prince scolded. A dying croak left Merlin's throat and Arthur waved at the servant standing next to the garden's entrance. The servant brought a glass of water and, once his throat was less dry, Merlin spoke.

"I was healing. Most of your plants were infected with termites and ants. You were lucky." Merlin stood on shaky legs. "How long was I out?" Arthur held up three fingers and shook his head.

"I swear most of the castle thought you were dead. Or trying to pretend you were." Merlin stretched and several of his joints cracked.

"What others think doesn't matter, I am under your fealty and as such, cannot plot harm to you or those you call yours. Also, I don't exactly die." The Woods Wraith looked at his work and nodded again. "This will do nicely."

Arthur shot him another look before he too, looked at the garden now alive with Spring. "It's beautiful." Merlin shrugged.

"You missed your welcoming feast, Great Spirit." A voice called from just outside the garden arch. A handsome man strolled in, his curly hair whispered in the breeze and Merlin hesitated when he saw the Kingdom's markings on the knights chest.

"Lancelot! This is Merlin." The prince grabbed Merlin's wrist and dragged his protesting legs toward the knight. At Merlin's short yelp, Arthur stared. "Are you alright?"

"Your Highness, he's been sitting still for the past three days. I assume his legs get cramped just as ours do." Lancelot came to meet them instead and he bowed to the forest spirit. "Pleased to meet you Master Merlin." The spirit's head nodded in acknowledgement. "I know that humans usually greet you with sacrifices of some kind, but forgive me if I don't offer my name." Merlin glared.

"And for a moment I'd thought some human had remembered his status as opposed to mine." Merlin's scowl retreated when Lancelot laughed.

"I hope you will forgive me, Spirit. May I instead offer a shoulder to help you get back to Gaius's home?"

The reminder that Merlin was really a Forest Spirit, hit Arthur hard. This, creature, was not human. Only the fact that he was weak from the stones and three days of magic work had him appearing to be even remotely human. A chill shuddered through Arthur.

Lancelot was ahead, shouldering Merlin's slight weight. He smiled and talked to the Spirit in a friendly, but guarded way. With the way he'd been treating the boy- the Spirit, Arthur had almost deluded himself into believing the creature was not harmful. That would have to change.

"Merlin?" He called. The Forest Spirit turned to him.

"Yes Arthur?" He was hardly leaning on Lancelot now. Arthur could only be glad that their contact was light. For Lancelot to actually like the bo-Spirit would spell disaster. Lancelot was known to fight for things he believed in, and Arthur had some hard things coming for the Fae creature he'd ensnared. 

"I have questions about your abilities." Arthur hoped his face appeared stoic after the quick flash of reality.  
Merlin took one look at him and any humor in his expression fell flat. "Yes, Your Highness."

Lancelot glanced between them. "Arthur," He started. He held on gently as Merlin turned around to face his liege lord.  
"Its alright, Sir Lancelot. He has my fealty." Lancelot huffed. Merlin turned to him and smiled politely. "If you please, Sir Knight. My liege requests my counsel." Lancelot sighed and nodded. He stepped back and bowed to his prince. Arthur glanced at him before falling into a frown.

"Come on, Merlin." He said. His hand grabbed fiercely onto Merlin's scrawny arm, and the prince dragged him into the castle.

~

The underground room that Merlin was marched into was cold. A damp sort of oppressive air hung in the room- not quite a dungeon, but close in all the ways that counted.

"Arthur-" Merlin began once the prince had pushed him into a wooden chair.

"You won't speak unless you're asked a question." Arthur snapped. Not a bit shocked at the order, though disappointed, Merlin closed his mouth.

Arthur stared at the spirit for a long time. Merlin had frozen, his eyes locked on his liege lord. "What kind of being are you?" Arthur started. Merlin turned his gaze to the newly planted ground outside the single window of the room.

"I am a forest spirit, your people call me a Wood's Wraith." Merlin gestured in the direction of the newly returned garden. "Mostly we help the forest grow. Not unlike the tree herders of old." He smiled bitterly. "We are fae. And as such are also very protective of our land. We barter payment for safe passage through the forest." Here he met Arthur's eyes.

Arthur shivered. "What about battle magic? What can you do?" Merlin looked down at the ground in a mixture of fury and sadness.

"I was not created for battle magic," He looked at Arthur and sighed, "I have magic for defense; I can call plants to life, to protect the forest I keep. Thorns are hell on a person's softer areas." The spirit shrugged.

"I brought you here to keep the outside realms from terrorizing our villages. How far is your range. Can you do magic like that from here?" Merlin thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"My magic doesn't work as well far away from places not tuned to me, but I can mostly touch any land, with the permission of its keepers. I would need to go there and lay something of myself along your borders."

Arthur blinked at him. "Are you saying you need to mark your territory?" He asked, lips twitching.

Merlin didn't smile. "Not as such, Your Highness. I would need to find and ask the keepers of each area of land for their help and protection and walk the borders to find the ley lines." He shook his head. "It might take many weeks."  
Arthur's smile changed. "You can protect the borders though?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Arthur swallowed, bracing for the task he'd set himself. "No." he said, clearing his throat. "Not really." He stood from his chair. "You can't hurt anyone under my care?"

Merlin shook his head. "No, Arthur. Anyone you call yours is safe from me, so long as you wish it, and I am under your fealty."

Arthur nodded. "Then, the king has been pushing me to do an inspection of our borders. I believe I will arrange for one to begin sooner, rather than putting it off any longer." He looked at Merlin, who met his eyes. "First, however, You'll have to meet my father."


End file.
